The Device
by MG90
Summary: Yuffie covers for Cloud on one of his deliveries bound for Healin Lodge. Her innate ability to land herself in trouble gets her more than she bargained for after peeking inside the confidential package. My first ever fanfic! Rated T to be safe.
1. The Delivery

_**Author`s note:** Been updating these chapters to reduce various errors. Thanks for all reviews so far, and to my beta VendettaSmiles. Please leave a review if you can :)_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII._

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 _ **Chapter 1**_ _: The Delivery_

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Hell had frozen over; Yuffie Kisaragi, White Rose of Wutai, Materia Hunter Extraordinaire, Ninja and master of sneakiness, sexiness and all things generally cool was on Fenrir. That`s right: Cloud Strife`s beloved motorcycle. She relished the wind blowing through her short locks as she straddled the large seat with her tiny backside, a huge, smug grin plastered on her face. Now let`s rewind three hours…

"Tifa, I don`t need chamomile tea!"

"Stop it, Cloud. Besides, both Cid and Vincent swear by it. We need to bring your fever down." Tifa ignored Cloud`s swatting hand as she placed a cold, damp cloth on his forehead. She put the steaming mug down on the bedside table next to Cloud, who was wrapped up like a burrito in several layers of blankets. A barely audible giggle came from the doorway, and Cloud weakly turned his head towards the sound.

"Thanks for the flu, Marlene. Next time you`re sick, ask Yuffie for cuddles," Cloud croaked at the giggling girl. Tifa smiled as Marlene blew the swordsman a raspberry before scurrying off.

"If you don`t get better by the evening, we should consider phoning the client and let them know…" Tifa`s concerned voice trailed off as Cloud yanked his head up, only to groan in agony at the sudden movement.

"No. We can`t delay; they said they wanted it by tonight, and Reeve said it was a highly confidential and urgent delivery. We can`t be letting clients down, regardless of who they are."

"Well, I guess we can ask Yuffie to take it. She`s not busy today. She would probably have to take the bike though, since we don`t have any other means of getting all the way to Healin…" Tifa`s voice betrayed her uncertainty, and Cloud was quick to protest. Through a series of coughing fits that were either brought on by the illness or Tifa`s suggestion, he croaked out his objections.

"Yuffie take Fenrir?" Another coughing fit before he buried his head in the pillow.

"Well, Cloud, do you have a better idea? I`d like to hear it." Tifa stood up from his bedside and put her hands on her hips, looking nothing short of vexed. Cloud wanted the parcel delivered today, but did not want anyone _else_ riding his Fenrir to do just that.

"Well?" Tifa still stood – hands firmly planted on her hips– and dared Cloud to answer. No answer, his eyes were closed and a trickle of drool escaped the corner of his mouth. The buxom brunette leaned in closer.

" _Well?"_ She repeated. Cloud`s eyes snapped open, and he looked around bewildered.

"Y-yes…?" He muttered weakly.

"Great," she cheered. "I`ll let Yuffie know." Tifa smiled before striding out of the room, satisfied. Nearly comatose, Cloud stared after her.

"…Wait, what? Tifa?" Cloud called feebly after her and groaned at the thought of a clumsy kleptomaniac handling his cherished bike.

* * *

Yuffie pulled up outside Healin Lodge and proudly marched up the steps towards the Shinra cabin. She knew they were expecting Cloud to come marching in the front door, so why not have some fun, using her awesome stealthy Yuffie ways? Granted, she too could suffer from the occasional clumsy streak, but it wasn`t not for nothing that she was the youngest Shinobi ever to have successfully "climbed" the Pagoda and beat Godo Kisaragi at his own game. She certainly had some skills, which she could put to use exactly when it suited her.

She made sure to stomp extra hard up the first flight of stairs to make sure they heard her arrival, then ducked out of the way the moment she saw the curtains shift to the side.

 _Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk_. She snuck around the back of the cabin, and squatted below a window. She saw a partially opened window on the floor above, and scaled the back wall with ease before squeezing herself through the gap of the opened window. Yuffie slid her long, awkward limbs inside and touched down on carpet flooring. She scanned the room: bedroom. Definitely a bedroom. One neatly made bed stood in the far right corner of the room, as far away from the door as possible. Along with a lamp, a wardrobe and a single chair, these were the only furnishings in the room. _How depressing_.

She edged into the hallway and heard raised voices from downstairs.

"His _bike_ is out there, Rude. A grown man with a larger than life sword and hair like a chocobo`s ass has literally disappeared on our doorstep. If that`s not a portal to another dimension, then I don`t know what is." The voice went quiet for a second, and Yuffie tiptoed closer to the stairs and strained her ears.

"What do you mean 'playing a prank', Rude? Strife strike you as the kinda man who pranks people? Nope. Portal. Other dimension. I`m tellin' ya, partner…" the voice drawled on.

 _Nyuk, nyuk…_ she clucked to herself, as she listened intently to the bickering Turks downstairs. She barely heard the footsteps approaching behind her, and before she could turn around, a smooth, velvet voice spoke.

"I am not certain which I would rather believe: Cloud Strife pranking someone, or Cloud Strife lending someone his motorcycle, particularly you."

Yuffie snapped her head around, with her body following a second later, and came face to face with the impassive expression of former de facto president, Rufus Shinra. Handsome as ever, his face betrayed little emotion, except a trace of his usual arrogance as he surveyed the ninja before him through narrowed, icy blue eyes.

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Author`s note: Thank you for reading!


	2. Oh, Gaia!

_**Chapter 2**_

 _Oh, Gaia!_

* * *

"Hey!" Yuffie feigned indignation at Rufus`s remark, and slapped a theatrical hand to her heart. She wasn`t an annoying little teenager with a burning desire to snatch interesting Materia anymore. Well, she wasn`t a _teenager_ anymore, at least. The rest was up for debate, although there was no reason Rufus Shinra needed to know that.

"Forgive my cheek, Lady Kisaragi. I am sure your reputation precedes you, as does my own." His posture was as straight as ever, despite his substantial injuries a few years back during Meteorfall – she had seen his injuries first hand during the evacuation of Midgar nearly four years ago.

"Oh, I dunno, Shinra. I`d say your rep suited you just fine," she said with a wry smile, which he returned darkly. She mentally kicked herself for feeling so drawn to his steely blue eyes– pulling her closer, almost drilling through to her inner thoughts. She hoped desperately he wouldn`t hear her heart beating, threatening to jump right out of her mouth and land itself in front of him in a bloody pool for him to mock and ridicule. _Bad Yuffie_. Rufus`s dark aura, smooth hair, and impeccable style may have been alluring in some ways – and dangerous in others – but she would not fall victim to it, she would not! Besides, he wasn`t even her type. _Think of Vincent,_ she told herself, _think of Vincent, and his fluttering red cape, silky black hair, piercing crimson eyes and dark, brooding voice…_

After giving up Cloud years ago to not _one_ , but _two_ gorgeous, doting women, she had given Vincent Valentine the honour of being her crush – a crush that had somehow persisted over the years and only intensified after working together at the WRO. A crush, however, was all there would ever be, seeing as Vincent would probably never give up on his dead chick; and if he did, Shelke would be there. A dead chick`s memories within the body of a 10 year old. Yuffie could never compete with _that._

"Boss!" Reno`s panicked voice sounded behind her as he rushed up the stairs, having decided that Cloud was not pranking them.

"…!" Rude followed closely behind his red-haired partner.

"Ah, the lackeys." Yuffie greeted them, a triumphant smile on her face, and silently thanking them for rescuing her from Rufus`s magnetic scrutiny. Reno returned her smile with a lethal Mako-glare, and she was sure Rude was awarding her the exact same look. The sunglasses made it hard to tell.

Rufus cleared his throat, and received her attention once more.

"Lady Kisaragi, is this purely a spontaneous visit to admire the interior design of my house, or do you per chance have something for me?" Rufus stretched a hand out expectantly. She eyed his hand for a moment before fumbling around in her rucksack. She winked at the former president as she held it out for him.

"Apparently, Reeve handed it to Cloud when they met up for Frappuccinos in Costa del Sol yesterday, nyeh heh…" she snickered briefly at her own joke, though her elation fell as she noticed it was lost on the three men surrounding her. "So, anyways, Reeve told him he didn`t trust _anyone_ but Cloud with the delivery, and that it`s _highly_ confidential. Y'know, the usual Reeve-yadayada." She flashed Rufus a toothy grin as he accepted the package, unamused.

"What`s inside it?" He asked nonchalantly, as he inspected the shoddy wrapping of the parcel.

"Ah," said Yuffie, bouncing slightly on her toes. "This _really_ weird thingy-ma-jig gadget, with all these creepy and weird markings on it. I couldn`t get it to do anything, but-," she stopped abruptly at Rufus`s stern expression, her mouth agape. "That is to say, I erm…I _assume_ that is what it is," she stuttered, cursing herself for her big mouth and inwardly face palming.

"Reputations, Lady Kisaragi... some more fitting than others, I suppose." Rufus said, and again Yuffie shifted uncomfortably under his intense stare. _Stop doing that,_ her mind yelled at him. He finally broke the stare of doom. "Due to the parcel`s _highly_ _confidential_ nature, as Mr. Tuesti so aptly put it, I of course assumed you had peeked inside already." Rufus pressed on monotonously.

"I wanna know what it does." Yuffie dropped the innocent act in a heartbeat, ignoring the assumption he had made. After all, he had been right. Rufus raised a quizzical eyebrow, and somewhere behind her Reno snorted derisively. Yuffie fought the urge to introduce the Turk`s backside to one of her mini-shurikens.

"…Please?" she pleaded, painfully contorting her face into something she assumed looked adorable. Well, of course it was painful, begging a Shinra like that. Rufus sighed in capitulation and pocketed the parcel in one of the many layers of his many white coats.

"In an effort to spare Reeve the inevitable interrogation by a persistent teenager-"

"Hey!" Yuffie interrupted, and crossed her arms proudly, "As it so happens, I`m 20, and Reeve would _never_ -" Rufus silenced her verbal barrage by holding up a long, slim finger.

"- I will actually _tell_ you what this 'thingy-ma-jig' gadget does. Or, at least, what it is supposed to do," he said, as his eyes scrutinised her again, searching for a reaction, in that intense way she had recently come to loathe. Her 'reaction' was complete silence, which was the best reaction one could hope for when it came to Yuffie Kisaragi.

"Really?" she retorted, face screwed up in disbelief.

"Uhh, boss?" A hesitant Reno interfered from behind Yuffie, also keen to share his scepticism. "I… are you sure?"

Yuffie spun to face the Turk with stormy grey eyes that told him exactly what she would do to him if he didn`t close his mouth right now.

"Shut up, Turkey!" She hissed through clenched teeth. She turned back to Rufus after rearranging her face into cutesy smile, complete with fluttering lashes. Rufus winced; it was oddly reminiscent of the looks Scarlett would give him whenever she strutted up to his desk to ask him anything – particularly questions regarding budget increases for her department. That old crone may have had his father wrapped around her little finger, but Rufus was not as easily swayed by Scarlett`s exaggerated curves and phony smiles.

Yuffie was certainly not in possession of such curves, nor was it possible to compare her tiny shorts and tank top combination with a revealing red dress. Still, he had to admit she had definitely grown up since that first time he saw her with Cloud and his rag-tag group stealing the Tiny Bronco. These days, she certainly filled out those microscopic shorts in a whole different way. He hadn`t noticed this until he spotted her working with Reeve for the WRO a year back. Not in a perverted way, of course – just in the way that any sighted man would.

"You were saying, Rufus dear?" she cooed. Rufus grimaced slightly at the saccharine tone before he nodded towards Reno in reassurance.

"It is alright, Reno. Would you like some tea, Lady Kisaragi?" He gestured towards the stairs leading down.

"Oh, please, Rufus. Call me 'Yuffie'." Rufus was sure her voice could not reach a higher octave, and he tried to ignore the ingratiating smile she still sported.

"Very well… _Yuffie_." He couldn`t take much more of the fake pleasantries, and he was a master at fake pleasantries.

"Yuffie, I already said I would tell you about the item. Pretences are unnecessary."

She gave her skinny shoulders a noncommittal jerk in response and immediately dropped the act, much to Rufus`s relief. She plopped her small frame unceremoniously into one of the chairs opposite him – in his minimalist furniture, in his minimalist living room. She inspected his furniture, popping a critical eyebrow at the inanimate objects.

"Right, then," she finally said, arms crossed and eyes focused entirely on the white-clad former president. Although he was still clean-cut and rather dashing, she noticed he wasn`t quite as impeccable as he had once been; the buttons on his undershirt were not entirely done up, leaving a bit of his smooth skin exposed right below his neck. His suit, or suits _plural_ , did not fit him the same way they had when she had first met him years ago. They used to show off his broad shoulders and straight, proud posture.

She would never admit it to anyone, barely even to herself, but she secretly fancied him back then. Only superficially, obviously, since she could never truly fancy a Shinra affiliate – past or present. Except Cloud, of course. And Vincent, naturally. Oh, and maybe Reeve, although he was a total geek, and way too old for her. _A hot old geek_ , she reminded herself. Ok, so maybe her rules about not crushing on anyone ever connected to Shinra could bend. _A little_. Besides, Rufus had changed. His clothes seemed to be wearing _him_ these days, and she could sense just a smidgen more humility in him than before. Just a smidgen, though. She reckoned he would always remain an arrogant snob at heart.

Rufus peered at her from over his cup as he delicately sipped his tea, and she made a point to stare back, determined not to let him control their intense stare-fight this time. Reno made another sound of disapproval from the chair next to her, whilst Rude remained his stoic self.

Despite his fall from grace, she knew Rufus was still loaded with cash. Her former job as the head of intelligence with WRO under Reeve`s leadership made her privy to certain classified information. When it did not, she`d find out anyway because, well… _head_ _of_ _intel._ She knew Rufus had funded the WRO and donated insane amounts of cash. _Probably to ease his conscience_ , she told herself. She also knew he still owned several properties in the Shinra name across the world, including a chalet near Icicle Village, a villa in Costa del Sol that could easily disgrace Villa Cloud, and of course the Shinra Manor. She assumed the latter property was not high on Rufus`s list of properties to reside in, however. So yeah, Rufus certainly wouldn`t starve, she was certain of that much. As for Rufus and his wardrobe, she`d have to remind him to see a good tailor before she left later on, as a gesture of goodwill, of course.

"Well. Let`s get to it, then," Yuffie suggested eagerly, drumming her fingers on the armrests. She ignored the disapproving looks the red-haired Turk was aiming her way. Rufus calmly placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his sofa.

"Reeve has been an asset in this operation. We believe this device was developed by the Ancients– By the Cetra," Rufus said, studying Yuffie`s clueless expression for a moment before continuing. "Reeve and my team of scientists have conferred with some of the elders at Cosmo Canyon regarding this device and its usage. They have also conducted field research in order to decipher the markings that you saw on the object, and at this time, we believe it to be a communication device." Rufus laced his fingers together as he surveyed her calmly.

"Communication device?" Yuffie was mystified. She certainly hadn`t played all nicey-nice with Rufus Shinra only for this device to be some sort of ancient PHS.

"Yeah," Reno drawled, having clearly decided to butt in, "to summon Gaia, yo." He kept his languid aquamarine eyes fixed on Yuffie.

"Not 'summon _'_ , as such." Rufus corrected, regaining her attention. "It is not a _Materia._ It is something else entirely." He gave the young ninja a pointed look.

 _On second thought,_ _maybe this ancient PHS-thingy isn`t as boring as I thought,_ Yuffie pondered.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review, if you can :)


	3. The Help

_**Chapter 3**_

 _The Help_

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"Ga-what? Our planet?" Yuffie sputtered. _Gaia?_ She didn`t hear that right. She couldn`t have.

"The spirit of our planet, the creator of the Weapons; a deity, if you will. _Gaia_." Rufus explained, shooting Reno a cautionary look. Yuffie decided the dapper blond was far too calm about this. Calmer than a person had the right to be in such a situation. It may not be Materia _per se_ , but she was going to steal it, whatever it was. Rufus could bet his posh backside she was, which is why it was a very bad idea for him to be telling her all this. Yuffie was already scheming and plotting the details; she`d put on something provocative and feline, then seduce that big old geek Reeve so he`d tell her everything she needed to know in order to use this device. Fool-proof plan, she decided. _Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk…_

Yuffie snapped out of her trance as Rufus cleared his throat.

"So," she said, leaning forward with renewed interest, "can you elaborate on the whole 'summoning a god' thing?"

Rufus sipped his tea, apparently possessing all the time in the world. Did he not realise Yuffie Kisaragi had places to be, people to see, ancient artefacts to steal… Besides, she wasn`t exactly known for her patience, and she let him know just that by drumming her fingers impatiently on the armrest once more.

"No." He said it casually, watching in satisfaction as Yuffie`s greedy, impish grin subsided.

"No?" She scrunched her forehead, leaning forward as if hard of hearing. "You said you`d tell me what it is and what it does!"

"And I have," Rufus said simply. "The Cetra developed this device, which we believe communicates with the planet, in the way a true Cetra could. We are not sure why this device was created. We can merely speculate." He placed his tea on the table, and examined Yuffie`s betrayed expression.

"Why tell me? I`m sure you`ve heard of my track record with Materia. Especially rare and awesome Materia..." she said as she trailed off, watering at the mouth. Rufus allowed a tiny smile to surface on his handsome features.

"Oh," Yuffie added. "And I don`t buy that bullshit about sparing Reeve the trouble. He loves my demanding presence!"

Rufus chuckled, though his face remained largely impassive. "No, you are quite right, Yuffie. I`m sure Reeve is quite fond of your prying nature. Regardless, this _is_ information you no doubt would have managed to, ah, force out of him somehow. I have told you what it is and what it does. It is an ancient device which enables the user to call upon the entity named as 'Gaia'. It is not a Materia." His tone indicated that this information was final; Yuffie was thoroughly disappointed.

"That`s all? But what does it _do?"_ she moaned. "Why even tell me?" She grabbed her hair and shot him a look of frustration.

"Cloud would never have opened that package, thus would have never been privy to its contents." Rufus said, with a certain bite to his voice.

"However…" he continued, "you examined the contents of my parcel without permission. You then sloppily wrapped it up again, possibly thinking I would not know how meticulously Reeve likes to wrap. Therefore, I am afraid I cannot pay Strife Delivery for their services at this time," he stated flatly.

"…You what now?" Yuffie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "That`s ridiculous. If it weren`t for me and my awesomeness, you wouldn`t even _have_ your stupid thingy-bob." She rolled her eyes.

"Besides, how do you know how neatly Reeve wraps stuff?" She arched a suggestive eyebrow.

A cynical laugh escaped Rufus`s throat. "He always managed to pull my name during the annual Secret Shiva present swap at the company. Thus, I received many a present from Reeve over the years. The man takes great pride in his wrapping, Miss Kisaragi."

Yuffie just stared. "Uh, wow, that`s…yeah…" She finished with a snort. A brief awkward silence ensued between them. However, she was sure the awkwardness was mostly from her perspective, seeing as Rufus didn`t seem uncomfortable at all, sipping his tea. _Always so sure of himself,_ she thought.

"It`s _Yuffie_ , by the way. Just Yuffie," she said, attempting to break the silence, whilst still coming to terms with Reeve`s wrapping hobby. Reeve had never given _her_ a neatly wrapped present. She added a mental note to reprimand him and demand a present next time she saw him.

Rufus smirked. "Yuffie, then," he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Or, if you prefer," she continued, holding up a finger. "White Rose of Wutai, Ninja Extraordinaire, Sexy Materia Goddess-,"

"Indeed, Yuffie," Rufus interrupted hastily and cleared his throat."I have a proposition for you. I will forget that you opened my parcel if you do me a personal favour. It is of a somewhat intimate nature and would require you to spend some time around here," he said.

Yuffie choked. Was this guy for real? Intimate nature? Spending time? _Bribery_?

"Ah, grossness! You pervert!" She launched herself from her seat and faced Rufus with her hands on her hips.

Rufus frowned as he also stood, shaking his head slowly.

"You misunderstand." Annoyance flashed in his eyes. "My maid is visiting her son in Mideel this weekend, and I require a temporary replacement for a couple of days."

Yuffie`s jaw hit the floor. "Manual labour? Me?" She let out a hearty, derisive laugh. She may actually have preferred the alternative, even though it was never _actually_ an alternative, except in her gutter mind... She was about to tell him exactly how she felt about being his help when Rufus stepped over to her and leaned in close. She could smell his cologne; it was masculine without being too heavy or overpowering, and something about his smell made her knees weak. Her pulse hastened and she hated herself for it.

"These are my terms, _White Rose_ ," Rufus said, leaning even closer to whisper her title in her ear. His warm breath on her neck made her shiver, and her sudden rigidity did not go unnoticed by Rufus.

"Feeling cold?" he asked, a self-satisfied grin present on his dapper features.

"I`m fine," Yuffie huffed in indignation.

"As for my terms?" Rufus pressed.

"Fine. _Douchebag_ …" She muttered under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I accept your terms." A certain mischievous glee was back in her eyes.

"So, Mr Shinra, would you like me to start ironing your unmentionables, or should I take out the trash first? It`s starting to reek..." She gestured towards the Turks and flashed Reno a crooked grin, one that the redhead returned sarcastically. Rufus cocked an eyebrow in response.

"Your wit is appreciated, Yuffie, but you can begin preparing food. Please do not poison it; you will of course have to eat the same food." He inclined his head towards her right, indicating the direction of the kitchen. Muttering several more profanities under her breath, she stomped off before they witnessed the true wrath of the Great Ninja Yuffie.

* * *

"Yo, boss," drawled the lazy voice of Reno. "Not to err…question your authority or whatever, but uh…"

Rufus turned towards him, wearing an apathetic expression. Reno cleared his throat.

"Am I the only one who remembers that shit with her and AVALANCHE in Wutai way back when we got rid of Corneo?" Reno then turned to Rude, who grunted. The redhead snapped his head back to Rufus, as if a point had been proven.

"I don`t know if I like her knowing of that thing`s existence," Reno continued, gesticulating wildly. "Let alone what it is. And that brat cooking for us? Cleaning my underwear? She`ll probably even iron my shirts and make them look all...corporate-like." Reno shuddered as he talked.

"Hmph," said Rufus. There was a time when he would not have allowed his subordinate to question his authority. Ruling the world with fear? What had he been thinking?

"She doesn`t know the details, she knows nothing of what one could achieve with this artefact, and neither does Cloud." Rufus lowered his voice slightly as he spoke. "Even if they did, that bothersome moral compass they all seem to live by would prevent them from utilising the device`s full potential," Rufus said as he flicked his hair.

"Besides, Reno, unless _you_ would like to try your hand at cooking and cleaning around here, I suggest you let me take advantage of this girl`s curiosity. Evidently, she`d much rather serve the former president of Shinra than have Cloud know she nearly lost him a wealthy client..." The white-clad man grinned darkly as Reno smirked in his usual Reno way.

"I like your style, boss! 'Take advantage', huh?" The redhead let out a suggestive whistle. Rufus tensed and narrowed his eyes at the Turk.

He approached Reno slowly, though his stride contained some menace. "I may be many things, Reno, some good…some bad," he gave Reno a chilling stare. "But I am not a sexual deviant."

Reno swallowed, but quickly recovered under Rufus`s withering stare.

"Sure, boss." He gave Rufus a meaningful wink. Rufus inhaled deeply as he reached inside his coat to pull out his shotgun. Realising that he had perhaps pushed the boundaries a bit too far (again), Reno yelped and scurried for the door as Rufus lazily took aim.

* * *

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Yuffie snapped her head towards the door as she heard a high-pitched scream coming from somewhere in the house. She recognised it as Reno`s voice, although a couple of octaves higher than his usual nasal whine.

She pondered for a moment if she should check it out.

"Nah." She shrugged indifferently after a moment of thought for the redhead. Yuffie cracked an egg in the frying pan and stared in disinterest at the sputtering egg white slowly turning solid. She had enough going on; not only would she have to find a way to gather more information on this device, she would also have to come up with a plan on how to get her hands on the thing itself. She was slightly concerned about Cloud`s reaction to all of this if he found out she had violated his cherished confidentiality clause. The keyword being _if_ he found out… so maybe she shouldn`t involve him in this, just yet. That would mean her plan to seduce Reeve with her natural charm and amazingness would have to wait too, in case Reeve blabbed to Cloud about it.

She cursed the Turks, Rufus and her own endless curiosity for all this thinking that she now had to do; thinking was definitely her least favourite pastime. Aside from _housekeeping,_ of course. _Yep_ , she could always rely on her inquisitive nature to land her in some sort of trouble.


	4. Dusty Ties

_**AN:** Thank you for reading!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4**_

 _Dusty Ties_

* * *

"Yuffie should have been back with my bike by now." Cloud was recovering, but still bedridden. Tifa sighed at the former swordsman, increasingly annoyed by the unhealthy obsession he had with that motorcycle of his.

"If you`re so worried about that bike of yours, why don`t you just call her?" Tifa suggested. Cloud grunted lazily in response. A sudden vibration of Cloud`s phone on the wooden bedside table demanded their attention. The blond man reached out sluggishly.

"It`s Cloud," he greeted. "Right. What do you mean 'super-secret spy stuff' for Reeve? He never mentioned anyth-… I see. Fine, see you in a couple of days." He put the phone down and sighed deeply before pulling his eyes up to Tifa. She cocked her head to the side, and patiently waited for an explanation.

"That was Yuffie," Cloud said. "Reeve has her doing something secret for Rufus. She`ll be back in two days." The childhood friends gazed at each other for a moment. Tifa was the first to crack a smile, eyeing his phone suspiciously.

"I wonder what`s _really_ going on," she wondered out loud. Cloud also gave the phone a sceptical look, as if _it_ had just lied to them.

"Hmph. I`ll find out."

"After resting," Tifa reminded him gently.

* * *

"What`s this?" Reno poked distrustfully at the food before him, his brow furrowed. Yuffie tutted disapprovingly and took a seat by the simple, yet pristine, white dinner table. _Gee, I wonder who picked out this boring furniture,_ she thought. Yuffie shot an accusing stare across the table at Rufus, who looked confused as to why he was suddenly receiving said stare.

"It`s just an omelette with bacon inside, topped with a load of cheese," she said as she turned her attention back to Reno.

"Geez, Turkey, have you never had, like…food?" She rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to know. Sensing, and clearly _seeing_ their suspicion, she tucked into the food on her plate, resembling a starving savage. Reno, Rude and Rufus, having been satisfied that their food was not poisoned, gingerly took a bite out of their own portions. Reno`s apprehensive expression was immediately replaced with delight, and he praised Yuffie`s food between mouthfuls.

"Mmf, effin' amazing," Reno said, chewing vigorously and pointing unnecessarily at his plate. Pieces of omelette escaped his mouth as he spoke, and Yuffie cringed at the half-chewed egg landing on the table. She didn`t need to look at Rufus to know he also winced at the sight of food touching his immaculate piece of furniture. What did _he_ have to complain about, anyway? _She`d_ be the one who had to clean it up.

* * *

Throughout the evening, there were several occurrences of Yuffie storming into Rufus`s office to tell him she wouldn`t be doing any more work around here and that he could wash his own damn underwear, thank you very much. That didn`t mean the former de facto world ruler relented at all. Each time Yuffie burst in, she would also end up leaving sullenly, muttering Wutaian curses at him as she stomped out. All he needed to do was pat the ancient device next to him on his desk; for now, it was the natural Yuffie-repellant. _For now_. He wasn`t sure how long she would go along with serving him and his Turks. Her 'logic', if one could call it that, could change its tune at any moment, and she could suddenly decide that coming clean to Cloud about her disregard for client confidentiality was the better option… but for _now_ he was enjoying this little charade in his own, twisted way. Who said Rufus Shinra didn`t have a sense of humour? They were sorely mistaken; his humour was just more unorthodox than most people`s.

"Hey, brat," Reno called out as she passed the living room, where he had carelessly placed his limbs at odd angles on the sofa. She stopped in her tracks, signalling that she was listening. _Barely._

"Clean my ties for me, will ya?" he drawled, and although Yuffie was not looking directly at him, she could _hear_ his obnoxious grin. She dropped the basket full of laundry she`d been carrying and snapped her head around to give him a wild, feral stare.

"You don`t wear ties!" She barked. Reno`s grin deepened as he winked.

"They could still do with a good clean. Shoulda gathered a good amount of dust by now."

With utmost restraint she never knew she had, she managed to _not_ go over there and strangle him with one of his own dusty ties.

* * *

That night, Yuffie collapsed in a shattered heap onto the large single bed. Upon impact with the fluffy pillow, her face burrowed into it and she moaned in pleasure. Soft things were great; they made her forget about the things she hated. Like housework _._ And Shinra. Oh, well… She would just have to endure.

In in the bedroom next door, a horizontal Rufus Shinra had to divert his attention from the riveting contents of his book to focus on a noise coming from the other room: a low rasping sound that pierced through the wall. Apparently, Yuffie Kisaragi was a snorer. He thoroughly contemplated whether feeding his own ego and humouring his sadistic self could really outweigh the repercussions of this inevitable insomnia. The prospect of cleaning his own house suddenly seemed tolerable. _Oh_ , how he longed for tomorrow evening, when his _real_ help would return and Yuffie could disappear from his life. He _could_ let her go earlier than that of course, but that would indicate she had 'won', or certainly _she_ would take it to imply she had won, and he couldn`t have that. He would just have to endure.

* * *

The next morning, Cloud assembled his Avengers. That is: _AVALANCHE_. Operation Find-out-what-Yuffie-is-hiding and operation Rescue-Fenrir were now active. Well, it _would_ have been AVALANCHE, except Reeve was excluded lest he found out Cloud gave the delivery to Yuffie, and he _certainly_ couldn`t risk having the former Commissioner find that out. Barret was also missing from the usual crew, as his response had been a loud, booming laugh through the phone when Cloud attempted to enlist him. Vincent said it was none of his concern, and added that Cloud had no right to call his phone. A disgruntled Cloud mumbled something about not treating him like Yuffie, but Vincent had already hung up. Nanaki was busy with some confidential business with the Elders in Cosmo Canyon involving 'an ancient artefact' that he had no authority to discuss with Cloud, to which the blond-haired man shrugged disinterestedly. This left Cid, who agreed for the sole reason that he needed a few hours off from Shera and her pregnancy hormones. Cid was currently not adjusting well to the impending responsibility of fatherhood, but there was still time for him to suddenly do a 360. At least, that`s what Tifa kept telling him. The buxom brunette was busy watching Marlene and Denzel at the bar, and therefore declined the offer, or _plea_ , to come with. Thus, the entire group consisting of Cloud and Cid arrived at Cliff Resort, hovering above the Shinra cabin.

"My bike!" Cloud shouted as he frantically waved at Cid to lower the airship.

"Looks like it`s in one piece. It`s your lucky day, Spikey. Hold on to your drawers!" bellowed Cid, as he steered the _Shera_ closer.

* * *

Yuffie gathered up the bursting rubbish bag, almost her own size, and was unaware of Rufus watching her from the doorway until he cleared his throat to get her attention. He couldn`t help but smile slightly at her appearance. A patterned scarf around her head pushed her black hair carelessly out of the way, and he couldn`t help but notice the green apron she wore, embellished with several yellow chocobos in various stages of gallop. In her bright yellow, latex-gloved hands, she struggled with the nearly erupting bag of rubbish. The only thing that kept him from releasing a chuckle was her very serious expression, which promised him a world of pain if he dared utter a single word. Instead, Rufus thought it much safer to settle for a compliment and remind her that her duties are in fact almost over. He reckoned he could survive without a maid for a few hours until his regular help returned that evening.

"Very good, Yuffie. Your assistance has been invaluable. In return, I shall of course let Cloud know the parcel arrived in a perfectly satisfactory manner," Rufus said with a curt inclination of his head. Yuffie was about to retort when they both heard the doorbell. She met the former president`s steely eyes, urging her to check who it was, and with a reluctant groan, the young ninja dragged the rubbish bag with her to open the door. With a less than amused expression, Yuffie tore open the door, only to come face to face with Cloud, who looked similarly unamused. Having clearly expected one of the Turks to greet him with a nightstick or a fist to the face, Cloud already had his hand ready by the hilt of his sword, body positioned in a battle stance. A moment passed between the two of them, during which time Cloud`s eyes scanned her appearance up and down, before he finally blinked. He formed his mouth to speak, only no words escaped. Instead, he opted to point a brazen finger at Yuffie, his finger nearly touching the vibrant chocobo-adorned apron she wore. Yuffie, annoyed, batted his finger away.

"Trying to cop a feel, perv?" she accused teasingly, though partially in an effort to divert attention from her appearance. Her efforts were futile, however, as Cloud finally stuttered a response.

"Yuffie, have you been cleaning?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Clever you. And they say you saved the world… twice," she deadpanned. Cloud adopted his usual serious look and marched in, ignoring her jibe.

"Shinra," he greeted impassively upon seeing Rufus.

"Strife," Rufus replied.

"What`s Yuffie doing here, in… _that_?" Cloud waved a nonchalant hand at Yuffie`s get-up. She dropped the bin bag and raised her arms in indignation.

"Hey, don`t act like I`m not even here!" she whined.

"She has been helping around the house this weekend," Rufus said. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked of Cloud, attempting to divert the swordsman`s attention and clearly not considering it a pleasure at all.

"How did you get her to clean…well… _anything_?" Cloud ignored Rufus`s inquiry in favour of another question. The corners of Rufus`s mouth twitched upwards, and he glanced at Yuffie, a smug glint in his eyes. She stood frozen, unsure if he would actually rat her out or lie for her. She hoped he would make something up. _Anything._

Rufus`s smirk grew into a very satisfied smile. "I simply have that effect on her. We share a special bond."

Correction; anything but _that_. Yuffie was seething, and Cloud`s eyebrow perked up as he turned his quizzical face towards her. Her face had quickly turned a beetroot red, and she made sure to avoid eye contact with Cloud entirely.

"Wait outside, Cloud," she said, her lethal gaze still fixed on Rufus and his annoying smirk. Could he not stop smirking? Wasn`t he supposed to be this impassive, taciturn, Ice Prince?

"Go!" She moaned and attempted to shove him out the door. "And take this with you. I`ll be out in a jiffy, ok?" She pushed the sack of rubbish into his arms before shutting the door in his face, taking great care to avoid the questioning looks he gave her.

She spun on Rufus, sending a livid stare of doom straight at him, which would make any normal person spontaneously combust and would definitely make Vincent proud. He awaited her lecture with patience.

"Great, just _great_ ," she hissed, jabbing a finger into his suited chest. "Now they`re all gonna think I`m hot for you, or something. That we`ve been…you know!"

"I see," Rufus replied thoughtfully. He leaned closer and reached around Yuffie`s waist. She held her breath as his fingers traced down her back until they found the apron knot. He tugged at it lightly, and the strings fell down. As he leaned closer still, she felt his hot breath against her neck as he whispered in her ear, sending warm shivers down her body.

"I believe my maid will need this back."

She tilted her face barely an inch to the side, and her nose nearly touched the skin on his neck, right above his suit collar. Once more, she was close enough to catch a whiff of his cologne, or was it his aftershave? Whatever it was, his masculine musk made her lose focus for a brief moment; all she could think about was how good he smelled, how much she wanted to give up all pretences and thoroughly sniff him, ruffle up his neatly combed back hair, like some wild animal.

"Yuffie."

"Huh?" She soon realised she`d been staring unblinkingly at Rufus for a good few seconds. He had long since pulled away from her ear.

"Yuffie, are you feeling unwell?" He placed his hands on her hips to hold her steady. Hands she was painfully aware of, all of a sudden. In a slight panic, she wriggled free of his light grasp, and pulled the apron off.

She found herself panting, though she attempted to conceal it by breathing through her nose. However, all that resulted in was her nostrils flaring up like an enraged bull.

"Yeah," she said, annoyed at herself, and a little more breathy than she`d intended. "Here. Cloud`s waiting." She thrust the chocobo-festooned apron into Rufus`s hands and made for the door.

He let out a pompous _hmph_ as Yuffie reached for the doorknob.

"I shan`t be lying for you next time, miss Kisaragi," he warned, his tone even. Yuffie turned her face just enough to see him through the corner of her left eye.

"And I shan`t be putting your broken body on a rescue helicopter next time, Mr Shinra," she spat, doing her best posh Midgarian accent imitation, and observing his reaction. His mouth opened slightly, though if he was shocked at all, he masked it quickly and composed himself.

"So," he said, straightening his back. "That was _you,_ then." It was a statement, not a question. The twist of a doorknob later, and she was gone.

* * *

Rufus stood in solitude for a brief moment, gazing at the door. The sound of the airship`s engine roaring brought him to the realisation that Yuffie had left. She had left his house. Left his life. The life he apparently owed to _her_.


	5. Moogleman

_**AN:** Thank you for reading and special thanks to all who have reviewed, and my beta VendettaSmiles._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5**_

 _Moogleman_

* * *

Throughout the rest of that day and the next, Yuffie endured a barrage of questions from Cloud and Cid regarding her "relationship" (as Cloud had so delicately put it) with Rufus Shinra. At this implication, she had turned a deep shade of red, and of course denied it furiously. Naturally, this was cause for even further suspicion and a 'definite proof' of a relationship, according to Cid, a logic with which Cloud agreed.

In an effort to escape the interrogation, Yuffie decided to pay Reeve a visit at his Junon office, where the WRO had teamed up with what remaind of Shinra some time ago. Pulling out her phone, she eagerly jabbed at the buttons and hit 'send'.

* * *

 **To:** Tuesticles. 13:23, Mon.

 _I`m outside. Tell your dog to stand down and let me in! Yours truly, Yuffie._

* * *

 **To:** Yuffie. 13:25, Mon.

 _Remember that time you had full access to my office and I caught you sending love messages from my own email to various recipients in my address book? Love, Reeve._

* * *

 **To:** Tuesticles. 13:26, Mon.

 _You`re holding a grudge?! That was ages ago! I`m sure they forgot all about it by now._

* * *

 **To:** Yuffie. 13:30, Mon.

 _I still get dodgy looks from Tseng, and my secretary still flirts with me at every opportunity._

* * *

 **To:** Tuesticles. 13:32, Mon.

 _You`re welcome, baby! Now let me in._

* * *

Yuffie waited for a reply. The guard outside had not been notified of her authorization yet… and she waited…and waited…

In fact, Yuffie waited until 13:43 for Reeve`s reply, a whole 11 minutes, before she decided this was completely out of order. She was tired of the texting game, and decided to call Tuesti, because no one, not even cutie pie Reeve, not even for 11 minutes, left the Great Ninja Yuffie hanging. _No one._

At the third ring, Reeve finally picked up.

"What?" his impatient baritone voice crackled over the phone. _Oh,_ she inwardly snarled, so _he`s_ the one taking a tone with _me?_

"Reeve Tuesti!" she shouted into the phone. "You let me in _right_ this instant, or I will tell this guard in front of me _exactly_ how much you love dressing up Cait Sith in doll`s clothes when you think nobody`s watching!"

A brief moment of silence ensued, until Reeve finally spoke.

" _Or._ " Yuffie flinched at the ire in his voice. "You _could_ just tell everyone present at the board meeting which I am currently chairing. Oh, never mind! You _just did_ ," snarled Reeve. Yuffie let out a short, nervous laugh and shifted uncomfortably.

"Well… to be honest, Reeve, that wouldn`t have happened if you`d just let me in, now would it?" She tried to reason.

She heard an exasperated sigh over the phone, followed by Reeve excusing himself to whomever was in the room with him.

"Put him on," demanded Reeve. She cocked an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"The guard – put him on."

"Oooh!" She beamed gleefully at the guard in front of her and thrust the phone at him.

"Bossman Reeve wants to talk to ya." She grinned as the guard took the phone gingerly.

"Pullman here," he greeted. "Yes, roger that, Mr Tuesti." He hung up and returned the phone to Yuffie before silently stepping aside for her to enter.

She stuck her tongue out childishly as she entered the building. _Ah, Reevie. You`re too easy,_ she thought fondly as the elevator took her to the executive floor.

* * *

Approaching Reeve`s office, Yuffie spotted his young secretary, Leona, and snickered to herself.

"Hey, Leona," she greeted cheerfully. The pretty brunette looked up from her paperwork and offered the ninja a professional smile.

"Hello, Miss Kisaragi. I`m afraid Reeve is in a meeting in the conference room at the moment. Can I leave a message?"

Doing her best impression of an innocent girl with the very best intentions, Yuffie`s smile widened.

"Oh, no, that`s alright. I was just going to give him a very important report, you see. It would be _so_ great if I could just go in and file it for him," she said, twiddling her thumbs. "He`d really appreciate it," she added as an afterthought. Leona bit her lower lip, and Yuffie could have sworn she heard the gears shifting in the woman`s head.

"Uhm, well, which report is it? I thought the deadline for this month`s reports was on Friday. You`re about 3 days late, Miss Kisaragi," Leona said jokingly, a small uncertain smile on her lips. Yuffie inwardly groaned.

"Yeah, uh…this report is special, different deadline," replied Yuffie, quite content to leave it at that, until Leona gave her another hesitant look. _Right,_ thought Yuffie, _time to bring in the big guns._

"It`s a report on the uh…" Yuffie glanced to each side before leaning towards Leona. "The _device,_ " she said in a hushed tone. Noticing the slight widening of Leona`s eyes, Yuffie knew she was victorious.

"B-but I…you know about that project?"

"Of _course_ I know about it, Leona. Reeve and I have been buddies for over four years now, _and_ he appointed me as Head of Intel at WRO last year, did he not? Come on… just let me in there so I can file it for him."

Leona looked increasingly reassured. Just one more push.

"You know…" Yuffie said, eyes glinting. "He keeps telling me how he loves it when you wear those short skirts."

Leona`s face brightened, before blushing furiously. "Really?" she squeaked.

"Absolutely. I can put in a good word for ya. But right now, I really need to file this report for him so I can get going. Wouldn`t wanna interrupt his board meeting, would I?"

Leona nodded excitedly, and handed Yuffie the keycard to Reeve`s office.

"Mr Tuesti is such a great man… handsome, too." Leona smiled coyly.

"He sure is," Yuffie called over her shoulder, already swiping her way into Reeve`s office.

* * *

"There`s gotta be _something_ here about that gawd damn thingybob," Yuffie mumbled to herself, as she searched frantically through Reeve`s filing cabinet. She turned her attention towards his computer screen, staring longingly at her from atop Reeve`s mahogany desk. Rolling across the floor on his executive chair, she turned on the screen and was met with a login prompt. _Reeve`s password_ , she grumbled. Eagerly, she typed in 'moogles'.

'Incorrect password', the red text taunted her. _Damn_. It occurred to her that she may only have three attempts to unlock his PC, which means she now only had two left...

"Fine, ' _Regenesis',_ " she attempted, almost randomly. No dice – the red text of doom was back; 'incorrect password'.

Scanning his room frantically, as if the password would just pop up and say hello, Yuffie cursed her unprepared self. Just then, her eyes landed on something on Reeve`s desk. A _photo_ something, in a _frame_ something. Picking it up, she inspected the photo fondly; it was a picture of the entire AVALANCHE gang, sans Aerith of course, taken a couple of years ago after Geostigma had been cured. Everyone looked genuinely happy. Cloud too; even Vincent`s eyes seemed to crinkle in that smiling way. She could only assume Vincent was smiling, since she couldn`t see his mouth behind that red cape. Then it hit her: _AVALANCHE._

It was worth a shot, her final attempt. Cautiously, she turned her attention back on the stubborn computer screen.

" _Avalanche_ ," she whispered as she typed it out. Beautiful green text greeted her; 'password accepted'. Yuffie almost woop`ed, then remembered Leona outside the door; she`d have to act fast.

She sifted through Reeve`s inbox, whilst simultaneously pushing aside the nagging thought that she was _definitely_ in big trouble if he caught her, she kept her eyes peeled for anything on the device. Frustratingly, the email subjects were all named using codenames or numbers. Yuffie tried her luck by opening several emails, scanning through their contents one by one, until one finally caught her attention. It was an email from Rufus Shinra to Reeve. A whole chain of such emails, in fact. _Jackpot._

* * *

 **From:** R. Shinra

 **To:** Moogleman

Yuffie had to snicker at Reeve`s shameless pen-name. He could pretend to be professional all he liked, but Yuffie was well aware he was just a big goof at heart. She scrolled down for the contents of the email…

 _Reeve,_

 _In addition to my previous inquiry regarding your architectural planning for Neo-Midgar`s construction, I would like to confirm some facts regarding the properties of Item Zero._

 _1\. Research indicates device was made by Cetra, and is powered by the planet`s natural fuel._

 _2\. Report no. 16 suggests 2.4 megatonnes of Mako needed for one charge._

 _3\. Research indicates a specific subject from the Lifestream can be returned to mortal coil by entity known as Gaia._

 _Please confirm these details at your earliest opportunity._

 _Regards,_

 _Rufus Shinra._

* * *

"What the…?" Yuffie`s brow furrowed, as she scrolled through the emails, desperately searching for Reeve`s reply.

 **From:** Moogleman

 **To:** R. Shinra

 _Dear Rufus,_

 _I have sent my architectural plans through to the relevant channels, and we await approval. Currently, floors 0-23 have been approved for the new Shinra building._

 _As for the details you requested, we have made tremendous efforts in collaboration with the Elders at Cosmo Canyon and have further updates with which to supply you. It seems there are a few catches to using this device, aside from the huge amount of Mako needed._

 _1\. Device needs a full moon to activate. No, this is not some werewolf baloney. It would seem the lunar power connects the device with the planet, Gaia._

 _2\. The planet requires 'balance'. Apparently, pulling someone out of the Lifestream doesn`t come cheap. The problematic ethical aspect of this is-_

"Yuffie!"

She nearly swallowed her tongue at the sudden booming voice of Reeve Tuesti. Taking long strides, he marched towards her, an apologetic looking Leona appeared in the doorway. The goateed man waved a careless hand behind him at the secretary.

"Close the door, Leona. I have something to discuss with Yuffie."

The ninja leapt out of Reeve`s leather chair and tried to look as innocent as possible, though she strongly suspected she`d failed in this regard. Reeve finally took a seat in his own chair once Leona had closed the door behind them, leaving Yuffie completely alone with Reeve.

He nodded curtly to the chair opposite his desk, and she sat down without any objections. Biting her lip, she finally dared to meet his eyes.

He rested his elbows on his desk and laced his fingers together ominously, peering at her from across his desk, daring her to explain herself.

"Reeve…dearest," she pleaded in her usual teasing way. He cocked a cynical eyebrow.

"What were you doing on my PC, Yuffie?" he asked. Yuffie felt shivers run through her body at his calm outward demeanor.

"Playing solitaire?" she squeaked. His brow furrowed, and he leaned closer.

"Oh, really?"

"Uhm, yup?" She knew he didn`t believe her. He turned towards his computer screen and squinted at the text for a moment. He then turned his face back to Yuffie, and to her astonishment, his serious expression started to dissipate. Finally, a slow grin appeared on his face.

"Yuffie, if you were so desperate for information on this ancient relic we`ve found, it probably would`ve been easier to seduce it out of me," he chuckled softly. She stared at him, completely unimpressed.

"That _was_ actually my first choice! But, you decided to be in a meeting just when I decided to grace you with my awesome presence. Talk about ungrateful…" she crossed her arms. Reeve smiled.

"Rufus was at the meeting today. He already informed me that you are aware of the device."

Yuffie paled at this information, but kept quiet, allowing Reeve to continue.

"I don`t know how you know about it, Rufus wouldn`t divulge… however, I suppose the proverbial cat is out of the bag now that you`ve read these emails." He glanced wistfully at the chain of emails open on his screen before turning his gaze back on a shocked Yuffie.

She frantically tried to gather her thoughts; so Rufus hadn`t ratted her out this time either, despite having told her he wouldn`t lie for her again… It also seemed as if Reeve assumed she had read the entire chain of emails, when he had in fact interrupted her right before the juicy part. She could definitely use this to her advantage, to learn more.

"Yeah, so I saw the emails, _obviously_ , since I was, you know, sitting there and reading them. Sorry, by the way." Her voice indicated she wasn`t sorry.

"You`re forgiven, Yuffie." Reeve`s voice indicated she wasn`t forgiven.

"So, maybe we could just chat about what you said to Rufus in those emails?" She was on dangerous ground, she knew it, she had to tread carefully, or he`d see right through it. Leaning back, Reeve exhaled in defeat.

"I suppose the end result with this project is rather disappointing," said Reeve somberly.

"How so?" she asked, sounding far too interested. _Tone it down_ , she urged herself. One of Reeve`s sharp eyebrows found his hairline.

"Well, due to the ethical issue with using this device, of course. Then again, simply having _discovered_ something so unique and interpreting its purpose should be reward enough in itself, I suppose. At least if you`re an historian or an archaeologist. Or, even a scientist. But for me, and I`m sure Rufus feels the same way, it`s a great disappointment." Yuffie nodded along to his explanation, trying to glean some new piece of information on the device.

"You mean the Mako. It would be unethical to use so much of it," she supplied, hoping he`d reveal more. He looked at her and shook his head.

"No…well, yes, that too," he said thoughtfully. "But personally, I`d have a bigger problem with sacrificing a human being than to sucking out some Mako. I suppose you`re right though, in a way... Using Mako like that could have far greater repercussions in the long run than the loss of a human life," said Reeve, looking grim. Yuffie sputtered.

"Wait, _wait_ , what? Sacrifice?" she shrieked. Reeve frowned curiously at her.

"Well, yes. Somehow I can`t think of a more fitting word for trading a living person for a dead one in the Lifestream. We all have people we`d like to bring back, but not at the cost of an innocent life. That is certainly where we _should_ draw the line."

Yuffie stared in shock, mouth agape. Reeve studied her face for a moment before his eyes widened in horror; in realization.

"You didn`t know!" he barked, seething. "You conniving, little-"

"Hey, now, Reevie. I didn`t force you to say anything!" She held up her hands in defence. Reeve`s eyes narrowed as he scrutinised her. Debating when and how to kill her, Yuffie was certain. Finally, he broke the stare, and heaved a weary sigh, running both hands through his hair.

"I suppose not," he said, gazing down on his desk. With a sudden pang of guilt, Yuffie hopped out of the chair and snaked her way over to him. Plopping herself onto his desk right in front of him, she playfully tousled his black mane. He half-heartedly tried to bat her hand away, and chuckled softly as he looked up at her.

"Don`t beat yourself up, Reeve. I would`ve got it out of you eventually," said Yuffie, gazing earnestly into his tired eyes. "You just saved me the trouble of digging out my skimpy maid`s costume from my closet, is all." She grinned at him, and was pleased to see him smile. A devious glint flashed in Reeve`s eyes, all of a sudden.

"Well, I don`t know, Yuffs…" his smile turned into a fox like grin as he spoke. "Last I heard, you don`t make a very sexy maid. What with questionably patterned aprons, latex gloves, and sweaty headscarves," said Reeve with a wink, his grin deepening.

Yuffie`s jaw dropped, nostrils flaring at Reeve, who quickly scouted his office for possible hiding places.

"Reno…" She glared at Reeve through narrow eyes. _That…that ginger jerkface!_

* * *

 _AN: Thanks for reading guys, please leave a review if you can :D Chapter 6 is now up._


	6. Frills and Thrills

**Author`s note** : Thank you for reading, I really appreciate the reviews (Desha, CountRenesme and Coffee Bean). I especially want to thank my beta VendettaSmiles for catching all those annoying mistakes!

Disclaimer: I own nothing in FFVII.

* * *

 _CHAPTER 6_

 _Frills and Thrills_

* * *

Yuffie`s jaw dropped.

"Reno," she muttered.

"Actually, it was Rufus." His smile deepened as her embarrassment turned to shock, which then turned to anger..

"I don`t know what sort of, uh…arrangement you two have going on," Reeve said, barely containing a snicker. "But you should really dig out that other maid`s outfit for next time you pay him a visit. He might enjoy that." Reeve laughed softly at the deepening shade of red in Yuffie`s cheeks.

"I sure enjoyed it when you pranced into my office a year back, demanding a job at the WRO."

Yuffie eyed him dangerously, unblinking, unmoving and unspeaking; definitely not a good combination when it came to Yuffie`s mood.

"What?" Reeve said, shrugging. "It worked, didn`t it?" He laughed. Finally, she relented and offered him a slight grin.

"Yes… yes, it did," she said absentmindedly, seemingly deep in thought - also not a good thing when it came to Yuffie. Suddenly, as if snapping out of her contemplative state, she smiled widely at Reeve.

"Thanks, Reevie!" She hopped off his desk and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before bouncing to the door.

He blinked, dumbfounded."What just happened?"

"Oh, nothing," she said with feigned innocence, grinning impishly in a way that clearly meant it was _not_ nothing. Before he could react to her suspicious demeanor, she waved and disappeared out the door. The last thing Reeve heard before her footsteps disappeared was Yuffie`s very excited voice bidding Leona farewell.

He was unsure whether to pity or envy Rufus for whatever was about to happen involving Yuffie, her little maid-outfit, and the unsuspecting ex-president.

* * *

On her way back to Edge, Yuffie decided to confront Rufus, the apparent tattletale. Feeling decidedly safer behind an electronic device, she decided it was in everyone`s best interest to text him. Well, mostly hers. Fairly certain she still had his number from her WRO days, she browsed her contact list and typed in the first thing that came to her mind.

 **To:** Mr Snob. 15:13, Mon.

 _So, I`m not a sexy maid, huh?!_

Yuffie had just put her phone back in her pocket when she felt it vibrate against her thigh. Smirking, she withdrew her phone.

 **From:** Mr Snob. 15:14, Mon.

 _Chocobo and latex is a difficult combination to pull off. Please don`t feel disheartened._

She tapped furiously at the buttons and paused for a brief second before she pressed 'send', allowing a devilish grin to spread across her features. _Let`s see if you can talk your way out of that one, nyuk, nyuk…_

* * *

Reeve had just managed to placate Leona, who had been distraught at having let someone, especially _Yuffie_ , into Reeve`s office without permission. He was aware of how conniving the ninja could be, as well as his secretary`s crush on him – largely Yuffie`s fault– and therefore he didn`t blame Leona directly. After some effort, he`d managed to convince Leona that when Yuffie had her mind on something, _nothing_ stood in her way. The girl had, after all, conned a ragtag group of terrorists out of all their Materia at the ripe old age of 16.

Happily seated in his executive chair, gazing at his photo of AVALANCHE, Reeve jumped when his phone vibrated loudly against the mahogany desk. The caller ID alerted him to who the caller was.

"Cloud, what`s going on?" Reeve greeted.

"I`d like to ask you the same thing, Reeve. Did you know Yuffie is in some sort of… relationship with Shinra?" Reeve opened his mouth to speak, but no sound escaped. It wasn`t exactly normal for Cloud to call him up for a round of gossip– especially not gossip about Yuffie.

"Uh, well, not _relationship_ , as such, but…" Reeve was unsure how to proceed. Had Tifa put him up to this?

"And what`s this device I hear about?" Cloud asked again, his tone as serious as always. _Ah, so that`s his angle._

"How much do you know?" Reeve knew that if Cloud wanted to know the details, it wouldn`t take him long to get them. If confronted by an irritated blond swordsman, Yuffie was bound to blabber.

"That depends how much there is to know. Yuffie was vague, even more so than Nanaki. All I know is that it can summon the dead."

Reeve sighed. "Close, but not quite." He decided it was better to tell Cloud, lest he actually believe the device to be the key to necromancy and spread this rumour around AVALANCHE, potentially causing a bigger outcry than the truth ever could.

"It allows one to speak with the Planet. Gaia, the Planet, can return a soul from the Lifestream, but it doesn`t come cheap." There was a brief silence on the other end. Reeve could practically hear Cloud frown through the receiver.

"Resurrection?" he breathed.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose," said Reeve, hesitating slightly. "It requires someone alive to die – to take their place." Another brief silence from Cloud ensued.

"Reeve," a cautious voice crackled over the phone. "Don`t tell me Rufus Shinra has this device?"

"Yes," said Reeve with a heavy sigh. "He does."

The implications were becoming more and more obvious to the former Commissioner.

"Reeve, he`s going to kill someone with it. We have to get it back." Reeve considered Cloud`s words for a second, nodding slowly.

"Reeve."

"Yes. Yes, I`m here." He suddenly realised Cloud couldn`t see him nod. "I get what you`re saying, Cloud, but we don`t know for certain that he`ll do anything like that with it." Reeve knew the moment the words escaped his mouth that they were complete and utter bollocks. Rufus was going to use the device for whatever reason, and it would kill an innocent person.

"Come to Edge, Reeve. Bring Yuffie with you. She spent some time around Shinra, so she might have some ideas on how to… steal this thing." Cloud seemed to struggle with the naughty word, possibly because he had been the unfortunate victim to her thieving ways himself. Reeve paused for a moment, trying to assess what he was really doing, what he was getting himself into.

"Yeah. I`ll be there by nightfall. Yuffie should already be on her way back to you guys. She left Junon a while ago." They were going to steal from Rufus Shinra. No matter how justified they made it sound, he couldn`t get comfortable with the thought.

* * *

Yuffie had made good progress from Junon, having stolen, no, _borrowed_ Boco from Cloud. He wouldn`t miss this living, breathing, super cute animal nearly as much as he`d miss his bike.

Not in the mood for another round of interrogation by Cloud and Cid, she`d simply snuck into her bedroom in 7th Heaven, undetected. She had come for one thing only, and if memory served her right, it should still be buried in one of the boxes she kept hidden underneath the bed. This would serve her master plan perfectly. She cackled to herself as she stripped out of her miniscule shorts to put on something even more miniscule, if at all possible. Yuffie heard the front door open downstairs and raised voices.

"What`s the 'mergency, spike?" _Barret._

"C`mon Vince, take off that goddamn cape, it`s a hundred degrees in here." _Cid_.

"I`m fine, Cid." _Vincent_.

Had Cloud invited them all? Had he invited them to gossip about her and Rufus? He wouldn`t dare… Either way, she decided it was time to get out of there. _Pronto._

* * *

AVALANCHE had been gathered by Cloud, and every eye in the room was turned on Reeve. He knew exactly why they were unhappy with him, but the details about the device weren`t known to him until a few days ago. How was he to know what it could do or what the consequences would be?

"I know what you`re all thinking, and I probably deserve whatever you`re going to say. But please believe me when I say I had no clue what this device could do when we started this project. How could I have known?" Reeve wasn`t sure why he defended himself. After all, they had forgiven him for far worse several years ago when he had been spying on them and even kidnapped Marlene.

"We know that, Reeve, but we need to think of a plan," said Cloud, glancing around at all the former members of the group.

"I think we all understand how tempting it would be to use that thing," said Tifa tentatively, giving Reeve a solemn look. "We all have someone close to our hearts that we`d give anything to see again. Except we _can`t_ allow ourselves to give anything, especially not what the Planet wants in return."

Reeve gazed into her hazel eyes, and admired that a person like Tifa, having lost so much – her mother, then her father by Sephiroth`s hands – would not be swayed by the temptations of the device. She was right, they all had lost something. Reeve`s thoughts wandered for a moment, and an image of his late mother flashed in his mind.

"I used to say there ain`t nothin` I wouldn`t do to get Myrna back," said Barret, his usual powerful voice cracked at the mention of his late wife. "But I was wrong. I wouldn`t do this. It ain`t right!" As an added emphasis, Barret slammed his gun arm into the table he was seated by. Instinctively, everyone ducked in fear of the gun accidentally going off.

"We have all lost someone dear to us." Vincent leaned against one of the bar`s corners, arms crossed. Cloud approached Reeve. "I also have some people I… I wouldn`t mind seeing again. But it`s not for me to pick who dies. We have to get that device," said Cloud, locking eyes with each person in the group as he spoke. He glanced around the room once more, looking increasingly confused. "Where`s Yuffie?"

"She is not here yet." Vincent emerged from the corner.

"Well, she should have been here ages ago. She left Junon hours ago on a gold chocobo." Reeve checked the time on his watch before catching Cloud`s eye, which started twitching.

"Chocobo? Yuffie doesn`t have a chocobo, let alone a gold one," said Cloud, looking to Tifa for answers. The martial artist shrugged in response.

* * *

Riding Boco towards Healen, Yuffie pondered her reasons for planning to take the device. It wasn`t exactly difficult for her to convince herself it was in the wrong hands with Rufus, and she was fairly certain this would have been AVALANCHE`s thought, too, if they had known about the device.

Having grown up with her father, Yuffie only had a few memories of her mother. Vague and few as they were, they were good memories, and the void that appeared after losing her could never be filled, not even by her friends. If she could just bring her mother back, she could fill that void. However, indirectly killing someone to achieve this was pretty much a deal-breaker for Yuffie.

But what if there was a way to get her mother back and _not_ kill an innocent person in the process? _Ahah!_ Yuffie grinned at her own eureka moment. Obviously, she could just go find some mean old murdering rapist off the streets, right? No… No, she couldn`t think like that. Innocent or not, she had no right to decide who lived or died, unless it was self-defence, like with Sephiroth. She basically needed another Sephiroth to sacrifice, so she wouldn`t need to live with a guilty conscience for the rest of her life. Then again, she had to concede that Sephiroths didn`t exactly grow on trees. Well, he kind of _used_ to – at least it seemed that way with all the clones and remnants and whatnot– but as for right now, she was pretty screwed. She cursed her morality for having the worst possible timing. Despite her slightly questionable morals, she was no murderer.

After she had managed to sneak into Rufus`s abode so easily a few days ago, Yuffie assumed he and his Turks would be more alert this time. Luckily, she had already thought of something a little craftier than simply scaling the wall and sneaking in through a partially opened window.

Of course, she had already thought of the various possibilities and impossibilities of infiltrating unseen and unheard. Yuffie might be a super sneaky sneak, the master of sneakiness, but sometimes it was better to 'bust on in', as Barret would so eloquently put it. Well, she wouldn`t 'bust on in' as much as she`d simply ring the doorbell and get invited in. This was where her master plan would come in.

She secured the belt on the beige trench coat she was wearing, and with the air of someone who was _not_ up to anything suspicious – or so she convinced herself – she trotted up the steps towards the front door. Right on cue, the curtains in the house shifted slightly to the side, no doubt checking who was there. Before she could knock, the door swung open. Yuffie and her fist, ready to knock the door`s surface, met a pair of aquamarine eyes.

"Whaddya want?" demanded Reno, eyes narrowed.

"Hey, is that any way to treat an old friend?" Yuffie said, punching his shoulder playfully.

"What ya want, brat?" He repeated, unamused by her antics. Yuffie rolled her eyes. _So, he wasn`t going to play ball_.

"Just thought I`d stop by to see how Sir Suits-a-lot is holdin' up." She flashed him a toothy grin. Reno`s eyebrow shot up, and she was certain he would slam the door in her face if it weren`t for the smooth, dark voice gliding in from behind the Turk.

"Let her in, Reno."

The Turk spun to face Rufus.

"But boss, she-,"

"It`s all right," Rufus reassured him.

Reno shot Yuffie a mistrustful look before stepping aside to let her pass. She stumbled in on the only pair of heels she owned, grinning up at Reno as they came shoulder to shoulder.

* * *

"I received your message," Rufus said cryptically as they stepped into his office. "I must confess, I am intrigued by this maid`s uniform you mentioned in your text," he said as he poured himself a drink. "Particularly its relation to why Tuesti hired you as his head of intelligence at the WRO the second you demanded a job."

Yuffie closed the door behind her and scanned the room – as she suspected, Rufus still had the device displayed on his desk. She grinned to herself. _Like taking sweets from a child_.

"New coat?" he asked casually as he watched her approach him elegantly. She sat down gracefully on his desk and crossed her legs slowly, watching his eyes trail up her thigh to where the edge of the coat blocked his view. The device was mere inches away from her right hand…it would be so _easy._ But no, she`d have to be more careful if she wanted _at least_ a head start.

"Your ginger doorman out there didn`t even offer to hang it up for me, though..." she pouted, hoping she looked more sensual than childish. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

"I do apologise, Reno has dreadful manners. May I take your coat?"

Increasingly smug, Yuffie smiled and slowly untied the belt, watching Rufus`s expression intently. It would have been easy to confuse the hungry look in his eyes with his usual arrogant expression, but Yuffie knew better. She had him now, which meant she would soon have _it._ She let him take her coat, and tried not to blush furiously as his blue eyes scanned her lithe figure in the frilly, barely-there outfit. As she had hoped, he made the "long" walk over to his office door to hang it up, and Yuffie leapt at her chance. Covertly pulling a thin vial from her skirt`s pocket, she tipped its contents into Rufus`s cognac, and poured herself her own glass as he returned to his desk.

"To housekeepers," Yuffie held out her own glass in a mock toast. "Your house would be a mess without one."

Rufus obeyed and raised his glass to hers, eyeing her intently as he downed its contents. Knowing said contents would soon work their magic, Yuffie did little to dissuade his hands from snaking their way around her waist, letting him pull her close. Gazing into his eyes, she noticed they were becoming increasingly unfocused. Suddenly, he leaned in a bit too close for comfort, steadying himself with one hand on his desk, one arm firmly around Yuffie`s middle.

"Gosh, you`re heavy."

"Yuffie…" Before his eyes could find hers, he slumped against the petite ninja, the weight of his entire frame dragging her down with him. Sprawled on the floor with his face buried in the frills that adorned her chest, she rolled the unconscious Shinra president off her, letting him land with a 'thump' on the floor. She glanced at him and noticed a few of his blond locks had draped themselves over his closed eyes. He looked quite peaceful when he wasn`t staring people into the ground. Yuffie stood, straightened her peculiar clothing, and downed the rest of her own cognac. _Time to roll._

* * *

"Rude." Reno's face contorted in thought, "If you were an annoying ninja brat with kleptomania who needed to hide from the Shinra... where would you go?"

Rude turned to look at the redhead, frowning.

Reno clicked his fingers, presumably having a moment of revelation. "Yes, _yes_ , Rude, you`re right, of course, Wutai!"

Rude uttered a nonchalant grunt in response to the excited redhead.

"I`ll get the Shinra chopper ready. You tell the boss, and get him the wheelchair if he`s still unsteady." Reno called from half way out the door. Rude sighed in defeat.

"I won`t need the wheelchair, Rude." The bald Turk turned at the sound of his name. Rufus entered the room, peering at him calmly.

Rufus nodded towards the front door. "Does the Turtle`s Paradise have anything to do with Reno`s excitement, by chance?"

Rude grunted awkwardly. "Possibly."

Rufus let a faint smile grace his features. "To Wutai, then."

* * *

 **Author`s note** : Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you can. I will try to update in the next few days.


	7. Thunder

**AN:** I finally got around to writing another chapter! It might be the penultimate one, as well :O

Big thanks to all the readers. I know there are a few of you, since I pop into my stats section every now and then, and I appreciate your time! Another big thanks to the reviewers, and of course my beta VendettaSmiles.

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7_**

 _Thunder_

* * *

"She has at least an hour head start," said Rufus. His pensive stare scanned the town of Wutai below them as Reno manoeuvred the helicopter to the ground.

"Well, boss. You kinda chose an awkward time to take a nap," said Reno, grinning. His feeble attempt to make light of the situation earned him an icy look from said boss.

"She spiked my drink, Reno. If the two of you had thought to check on me a bit earlier, we might have caught up with her by now." Rufus noticed the bite to his own tone, but it didn`t matter. He didn`t like being incriminated by his subordinate.

"No way, man." Reno threw his hands up in indignation. Rude, though remaining largely calm and collected, instinctively grabbed hold of the helicopter`s control stick, preventing a seaside crash.

"We had no idea what you two were up to in there, boss. Could`ve been something way riskier than a spiked drink..." Reno let the implication hang in the air as he grabbed the control stick and steered them towards ground.

In an effort to let the subject die down, Rufus bit back a retort. Even though he would never admit it to Reno – simply because it would amuse the Turk too much – Rufus knew he had been careless around Yuffie. He cursed himself for his thoughtlessness; this wasn`t like him, at all.

"Right, bossman. We`re here."

Rufus snapped out of his thoughts and followed his Turks out of the helicopter. Wutai was looking significantly better than it had just a few years ago; its economy was better, and the whole town was thriving and bustling with a renewed and vigorous atmosphere. He suspected a certain ninja had something to do with restoring some of Wutai`s former glory.

"Hey, Rude." Reno elbowed the silent Turk. "Remember when that brat stole Cloud`s Materia and they ran around here like headless chocobos." Reno chuckled to himself as Rude gave a noncommittal shrug.

"She has a house here, no?" Rufus scanned the buildings ahead of them, although they all looked fairly similar.

"Yeah, it was over there, maybe?" Reno pointed to an elevated house by a stream.

"Let`s check it out." Rufus strode off before either of the Turks could respond.

"Adventurous today, eh boss? I like it."

* * *

Rude replaced his lock-picking set and allowed his boss access to the abode before them. Stepping through the doorway, Rufus fought the urge to gag; the strong stench of urine invaded his nostrils, and he immediately noticed the source of said odour.

"Meow."

A tabby brushed up against his leg, leaving a trail of short ginger fur along his pristine white clothing. Ignoring the countless felines, he fought his way through clutter, weapons, clothes, pillows and random objects strewn across the floor and hanging perilously from the ceiling. How could a person live like this? It was unfathomable to him, but here he was, swimming in a sea of clutter.

"I checked downstairs, boss. I don`t think she`s here." Reno stumbled through the countless shurikens, knives, and cats that blocked his path. Rufus was almost relieved at the news; he longed to escape the confinements of this pigsty and breathe ammonia-free air once more. As blissful as the air outside was, his original objective remained: find Yuffie Kisaragi.

"The Turtle`s Paradise!" Reno exclaimed, pointing wildly.

"No drinking on the job, Reno." Rufus was still recovering from the unsanitary shock moments before.

"The brat." Reno rolled his eyes. "I saw her by the Turtle, but she`s gone now."

Rufus squinted against the evening sun towards the bar. Nothing. Except a gaggle of tipsy customers who had stepped outside for a cigarette break.

"Let`s go." Rude had spoken, and led the way towards the bar.

"Excuse me, but have you seen the lady Yuffie Kisaragi?" Rude inquired of one of the men outside, with Rufus and Reno standing behind him, silently exchanging looks due to Rude`s newfound vocabulary. The drunken man turned a pair of drowsy eyes toward the bald Turk, his face screwed up in concentration.

"Uh… yeah," he said, hiccupping. "I mean, no. No one by that name 'round here." The man hastily spun to face his friends again, clearly taking great care to ignore Rude and his question.

"Don`t bother," Rufus interjected, and pointed towards a small boy standing in front of the mountain path. "There are easier targets."

Approaching the boy, Rufus took out his leather wallet and pulled out several notes of gil.

"Boy." Rufus stared down at the child, who gave him a frightened look.

"Great work, bossman. You just scared the daylights out of the kid."

Rufus shrugged indifferently as Reno crouched in front of the child, putting on a wide, sleazy smile. "Hey, kid. How 'bout you be a nice lad and do the three of us a nice, big favour, eh?"

Rufus rolled his eyes. "Indeed, Reno. That didn`t sound dodgy, at all."

"It seems neither of you are any good with kids." Rude knelt before the child and took off his sunglasses. In one swift motion, he pulled out his own money from his suit pocket and held it up in front of the child, whose eyes turned from fearful to conniving.

"Yuffie Kisaragi," said Rude as the kid swiped the money from his fingers.

"Nope, there was definitely _not_ anyone by that name who ran past here a few minutes ago." The kid shook his head vigorously, and Rude pulled out another note for the boy.

"Where was she headed?" Rude let the boy snatch the money.

"Nope, there was definitely _not_ a young girl headed for the mountains just now. Nope." The boy shook his head again and ran off before Rude could ask another question.

Straightening his suit jacket as he stood upright, Rude nodded towards Da Chao and its several narrow paths and caves. Rufus swallowed hard.

"The helicopter?" He turned to Reno with a pleading look, but the Turk shook his head.

"Manoeuvring the chopper through those rocky peaks? Fat chance, boss."

Although Reno was always a cynic, Rufus recognised that the Turk had a point; they would have to leg it.

"I suggest we separate. We can cover more ground that way," said Rufus as they embarked on their hike up the mountain path.

Reno made a choking sound. "Hell, no. What if you run into trouble?"

Rufus chuckled lightly. "I`ll call you if I find her. You do the same." With that, he left the two Turks at the fork in the path.

* * *

He passed several hands, feet and other body parts protruding from the mountainside, neatly carved out of the stone, as well as numerous cavern entrances. He realised Yuffie could be in one of these caves. Then the thought sunk in: Yuffie could be in _any_ of these groaned, again cursing himself for his carelessness that had landed him in this mess in the first place. He supposed the past few years had changed him, somewhat. He was still the same person, essentially, but his priorities had changed, and with them his attitude towards people had shifted, as well.

A slight glow from one of the caves caught his attention, and as he approached it, he heard the sound of fire crackling from inside. It was then he noticed how far he had walked; he was already at one of the topmost peaks of Da Chao. He entered, but before he could look around, a loud rumble from outside caused his heart to do a back flip. Thunder, followed by heavy rain pouring down outside. He forgot how temperamental the weather in Wutai could get, and the mountain was no place to be walking around during heavy rain showers and thunderstorms, either. On the bright side, he was dry and relatively safe inside the cavern, which angled upwards, preventing the water from flooding the place. On the other hand, he was stuck in here until the weather cleared up.

"Oh gawd, it`s you."

Rufus snapped out of his thoughts, and his eyes focused on the young girl in front of him. "I think you know what I`ve come for." He approached her calmly.

She winked at him , grinning wickedly.

"Yeah, but you ain`t getting it." Yuffie nodded past him, to the curtain of rain visible outside the cave entrance. "I guess we`re stuck here for a while. Come on." She headed deeper into the cavern, towards the source of the glowing light.

"How large is this cavern?" Rufus followed her, and they soon found themselves in an area with a large open fire.

"Oh, sweet Minerva," Rufus exclaimed, jumping back slightly. Fire roared from the far end of the cavern – open, unprotected fire that threatened to engulf him where he stood. Yuffie chuckled mirthfully beside him.

"This is the Da Chao fire cavern. Those flames don`t ever move, day or night, summer or winter." She sat down against the cavern wall opposite the fire, a safe distance away. "So don`t worry your pretty little head, Rufus. It won`t get you."

She belittled him, he knew as much. At the same time, he was relieved to hear the flames wouldn`t burn him to a crisp – he had come close enough when WEAPON had attacked the Shinra HQ four years previous. He took a seat next to Yuffie, and let himself enjoy the warmth that radiated from the fire opposite them. A few moments of precious silence went by until Rufus remembered what he had come for.

"So, where did you hide it?" His tone carried no malice. Perhaps it was this sudden change in demeanour that caused her to answer in such honesty.

"It`s here." Yuffie pulled out the device from her rucksack.

He half expected her to hand it over to him, but when she didn`t, he turned to look at her. She stared intensely at the naked flames dancing in front of her, illuminating her stormy grey eyes. He noticed they were glossier than usual, and her voice was cracked when she finally spoke.

"I wanted to use it. I really did."

"But you didn`t," he said, almost as a question. She shook her head, and a tear streaked down her cheek.

"My mother." Yuffie swallowed hard. "She died when I was little. I wanted so badly to see her again. Like, who cares if some random criminal has to die so that she can live again?" She wiped her wet face on her glove.

"Like Cloud? Or Barret? Or Tifa?"

Yuffie snapped around to face him, anger flaring up in her eyes. "What? They`re my friends," she barked.

"And from a completely objective point of view, they were also criminals."

Yuffie huffed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, well, so were you, Shinra…"

Rufus smiled. "So, what stopped you?"

"Huh?" Yuffie responded ineloquently.

"Why didn`t you use the device? As you said, who cares about a 'random criminal'?" He peered into her dark orbs, ignoring the stream of tears down her cheeks.

"My mother." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Pardon?"

"My mother would care." She smiled slightly, and Rufus immediately decided she looked a hundred times more beautiful when smiling. It was already obvious to him that Yuffie was no attractive crier. Her nose and cheeks turned red and shiny, her black hair stuck to her teary skin and she attempted to snort back the snot that trickled down from her nostrils. The girl certainly wasn`t pretty sight to behold when she cried, but her smile, on the other hand, was cheerful, mischievous, infectious, and could light up a room.

"So, you decided against using the device because you think your mother would care about a random person?" He had meant it as a genuine question, but his tone was more sarcastic than he`d intended.

She popped an eyebrow at him."Yeah." She took a deep breath, sniffling as she inhaled. "From what I remember of her, she was a woman with strong values and a heart of gold. I think that heart would break if she knew someone was killed for her."

Rufus gazed at her, though she ignored his attempt at eye contact. Instead, she seemed to find her shoelaces a sudden source of fascination. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her puny figure, pulling her into a sideways embrace. He might regret comforting her later, but right now it seemed fitting.

"I think my mother would feel the same way," said Rufus. Through his peripheral vision, he saw her peering at him from behind her fringe.

"She was the only one who ever loved me unconditionally," he said, stealing a quick glance at the small figure huddled against him. She didn`t move and didn`t return his glance.

"I… suppose you have given me a lot to consider, Yuffie." He felt her shift closer towards him, snuggling into his side.

* * *

Yuffie was greeted by a stiff neck and swollen eyes when she awoke. She carefully shifted in Rufus`s one-armed embrace and tried to study his face. His eyes were closed and his face leaned slightly the other way. His rhythmic breathing suggested he was asleep. She studied his features for a moment, and then it hit her, just as it had before. His cologne. Yuffie was a sucker for a good cologne on a man, and it didn`t matter if the wearer of said cologne was the former president of Shinra, or a mercenary with severe personality disorders and selective amnesia, or even a goateed nerd, twice her age, with a fetish for robotic cats. Yuffie could never resist a quick whiff when presented with such a delightful scent.

Just as she got close enough for her nose to graze his neck, his eyes snapped open and his face turned towards hers, their noses almost touching. Yuffie wished her heart wouldn't beat so loud, and she was sure Rufus would hear it pounding within her ribcage. Their eyes met and they sat like that for what felt like an eternity to her, but was actually closer to a minute in reality.

"Do I make you uncomfortable, Yuffie?" He asked, clearly having noticed her uneasiness.

Her throat went dry as she noticed he had lowered his eyes to stare at her lips. Before she could pull away, he raised a hand to cup her cheek, pulling her closer. She soon found her lips lightly touching his, and she tentatively let him kiss her. She wanted to close her eyes, but there was no need. Whatever it was, it was brief, finished – short, but sweet. It wasn`t passionate or heavy, like she had always imagined her first kiss would be. Instead, it was more like a light peck. Nevertheless, it was enough to send her heart into a fluttering frenzy that she yearned desperately to control.

"Hey, boss. Sir? Ya in here?"

Yuffie jumped at the echoing voice from the cavern entrance. Scrambling away from Rufus`s side, she jumped to her feet and dusted herself off just as Reno`s lanky figure appeared. The Turk looked from Rufus, still seated near the wall, to Yuffie, who probably looked as perturbed as she felt, and let out a long indicative whistle.

"I guess you ran into trouble, after all, eh sir?"

"Sir, are you alright?" Rude appeared, and Rufus nodded in response.

"Took ya long enough, Turkeys." Yuffie blew Reno a raspberry, which he returned with a dark scowl.

"I don`t recall you having this much trouble finding Corneo," Rufus commented as he stood and brushed himself off. Reno shrugged.

"Yeah, well, Corneo was flashy and loud, with even louder clothes. And he wasn`t hiding out in one of the gazillion caves around here."

Yuffie shuddered at the memory of the perverted slum-lord and her near death experience hanging upside down by her feet, with Elena the rookie Turk next to her.

"Anyway, the weather`s cleared up. Let`s grab the device and be gone." Reno and Rude exited the cavern on that note, leaving Yuffie and Rufus inside. She spun on him, hands on her hips in a manner she was convinced seemed threatening.

"You`re not gonna use it, are ya? We had an agreement." She followed closely behind Rufus as he headed outside.

"We had no such agreement, Yuffie."

She stared after him, incredulous, before she regained her senses.

"Wait, what? Wait, I said." She fruitlessly tugged at his arm. She had actually believed in a better Rufus last night, but in the end he had only served her bullshit, and she had been so gullible.

"If it`s true what you said about her, she`ll resent you for it, you know. She`ll resent her new life." This made him turn around, meeting her eyes with his icy blue. He looked as though he might speak, but when he didn`t, Yuffie continued.

"That`s who you wanna bring back, right? Your mother? She`d probably hate you if you killed some random person for her." She did her best not to let her gaze falter, but found it increasingly tricky under his indecipherable stare. He seemed resolved, stern, but at the same time his eyes looked sad and uncertain.

"Goodbye, Yuffie." His words were soft.

She had expected more. Perhaps a short lecture on how it was not her business or how she shouldn`t presume to know him or his mother. Indeed, she certainly had expected more. Still, with a peculiar finality to his words, Rufus had bid her farewell and left her. He had the device now, and he was going to use it. Yuffie felt her heart sink at this realisation. She had to fix it, and she had to fix it soon. Otherwise, Reeve and Cloud would probably fight each other over who got to kill her first.

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you again for reading, and please leave a review if you can :) I also welcome constructive criticism. It`s my first fan fic, so I desperately need it ;)


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